Art of producing decorated pressed sheet-metal boxes



March 10, 1925- 1,529,552

A. SCHNEIDER a ART OF PRODUCING DECORATED PRESSED SHEET METAL BOXES Filed Oct. 6, 1923 J ill W hs'am x ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 10, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANTHONY SCHNEIDER, 0F WHIPPANY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CIGAR COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

ART OF PRODUCING DECORATED PRESSED SHEET-METAL BOXES.

Application filed October 6, 1923.

To all air/2012i it may concern:

Be it known that l, ANTHONY SCHNEIDER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of VVhippany, in the county of Morris and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Art of Producing Decorated Pressed Sheet- Metal Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to decorated pressed sheet metal boxes of a kind especially well adapted for packing small cigars for retail sale to individual consumers, and for many other purposes, and to methods of producing such boxes.

lVhile the invention is adaptable to boxes having hinged lids, it has been developed especially in connection with boxes in which the body or bottom section and the top or cover section telescope together and are entirely separate and unconnected by hinges, and each section consists of a single piece of sheet metal pressed into a seamless dished formation with fiat bottom, paral lel side walls, parallel end walls, and rounded edges and corners. lVhile most boxes produced by this method will usually be of rectangular outline, the inventionis not limited to such forms, but may be ap plied to the formation of any boxes of dished formation with walls extending anguiarly to the bottom portion of the box part.

It is essential for many purposes. and especially for packaging cigars, to provide the exterior surfaces of the box parts with suit able indicia and decorations, and especially for certain grades of cigars, a highly decorated and artistic finish, including large coiored areas, as well as the indicia, is demanded by the trade. The coloring applied to produce these eflccts is substantially of the character of paint and it is necessary for any practical production of such boxes on a commercial scale to apply the coloring to the sheet metal While it is in flat form, and usually in large sheets including a plu rality of individual blanks. The pressing of dished box parts and especially the body or bottom portions of two-part boxes, where the walls are of substantial depth, requires drastic deformation of the flat metal in the drawing or pressing operation, and entails severe strain and friction on the exterior decorated surface. It has been Serial No. 667,029.

found to be impracticable by methods heretofore known, to produce highly finished or satisfactorily decorated box surfaces for the reason that the applied coloring or decorating substances are scratched or otherwise injured in the pressing or drawing operations.

To avoid the difficulties heretofore experienced, as briefly outlined above, my invention provides for applying to exterior surfaces of the flat metal sheets corresponding to edge and corner portions of the completed box parts, a coating or coloring material which may be generically identified as a shellac or varnish, and then applying to other areas, corresponding to central or bottom areas of the completed parts, and the side and end walls thereof, and not to any areas corresponding to the edges and corners of the completed parts, other coloring 0r decorating material Which may be generically identified as a paint, one or more applications being made, as may be desired for the production of different color effects. If the individual blanks are formed as parts of large sheets, the sheets are then cut to separate and properly form individual blanks for pressing, and the blanks are then die-pressed to produce the proper dished formation, usually with Well-rounded edges and corners, and in this pressing operation the painted areas are not subjected at all. or to any considerable extent, to frictional contact with the die parts or to severe distortion incident to the deformation of the metal under the influence of the dies, and therefore the painted surfaces, which are relatively delicate or easily scratched, are not in any way affected or impaired; the varnished areas corresponding to edges and corners of the completed box part, are subjected to a considerable extent to friction and distortion under the die action, but the nature of the varnish is such that it is relatively flexible and tough, and it is not at all or appreciably injured by the die treatment. The completed box part therefore has on its bottom or central surface and on the wall surfaces, panels of colored or painted finish and corners and edges of shellacked or varnished finish, none of the surfaces being scratched or otherwise marred or perceptibly affected by the pressing operations. resulting in the economical production on a int,

commercial scale of beautifully finished and decorated box parts, suitable for the abovedescribed and other purposes.

The accompanying drawing sufficiently llustrates process steps employed in carrying out the invention in one representative way, and also box parts produced by such performance of the process. After considering this cxemplification embodiment of the invention. persons skilled in the art will understand that variations may be made within the principles of the invention, and I contemplate the employment of any methods that are properly within the scope of the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a plan view of one corner sew tion of a large metal sheet including a multiplicity of individual blanks suitable for box body or bottom sections.

Figure 2 i a similar view of a sheet in cluding av multiplicity of individual blanks suitable for box top or cover sections.

Figure 3 is a plan view of an individual blank severed from the sheet: of Figure l and properly contoured for pressing.

Figure 4 is a plan view of an individual box cover blank severed from the sheet of Figure 2 and properly contoured for press ing.

Figure 5 suflicicntly illustrates one of the blanks, such as the blank of Figure 3, subjected to pressing action of suitable dies, diagrammatically illustrated.

Figure 6 is a perspective View of a completed box body or bottom section.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a complete box including bottom and cover sections, produced by the present embodiment of the process.

In Figures 1 and 2, 1 represents a rectan gular piece of suitable sheet metal. such as tin plate, of a suitable size for the production of a multiplicity of individual box body blanks B, and 2 designates similar t'iiccc of sheet metal suitable for the production of a multiplicity of cover blanks To avoid confusion of terms, due to the, necessary reference to bottom and top or cover sections of boxes. and the description of individual parts of each section, the position of the box part in a complete two-piece box will be generally disregarded and the main or central area of the complete box-part will be referred to as the bottom or bottom section, and the other parts or areas will be referred to as the walls or wall sections. Since the present invention relates principally to the decorative treatment or finish of the exterior surfaces of box parts. it will be understood that in every instance, external surfaces of the respective parts are referred to; although. of course, it will be clear that whenever it is desired to similarly decorate interior surfaces of the box parts, thc surfaces of the sheets or blanks which are to be the inner surfaces of the completed parts, may be treated in a similar manner, and further reference to such operations is considered unnecessary.

In Figure 1, B designates individual blanks produced on the sheet. Each blank includes a. central or bottom area 3, end wall areas at and side Wall areas 5. In Figure 2, O designates the individual blanks, and each blank includes a central or bottom area (t. end wall areas 7 and side wall areas 6.

Between the bottom and Wall areas, Figures 1 and 8, are areas 9, l0, and 11 corresponding to edges and corners of the com pleted box parts as sufliciently further identitled in Figures 6 and 7; and in Figures 2 and 4, between the bottom area 6 and the Wall areas 7 and 8 are other areas 12, 13 and 14 corresponding to edges and corners of the completed box sections as sufficiently further identified in Figure 7.

The surfaces or areas 9, 10 and 11 of the body sheet, Figure 1 and surfaces 12, 13 and 14 of the cover sheet. Figure :2 are coated with a suitable shellac or varnish. This may be any suitable material for the purpose, having to a desirable degree the qualities of strength and toughness, and resistance to scratching under friction. A sutiicient example of a proper material, is a varnish or shellac consisting of gum shellac dissolved in alcohol, and this varnish may be suitably colored to produce a highly decorative effect. In many cases pulverized metal pigment is incorporated in proper quantity in the shellac to grive a gilt effect so that edge or corner areas of the completed box part have a beautiful gilded finish.

While the varnishing might be applied only to the edge and cover areas, it is more conveniently applied to the entire surface of the sheet as sufficiently indicated by stippling. Suitable coloring material is then applied to other areas of the sheets. For example, in Figure 1, suitable color Which may be a paint suitable for application to sheet metal surfaces by known common cial printing or lithographing processes, is applied to the wall areas or panels 4 and 5. Figure 1, and to the wall areas or panels 7 and 8 and the bottom or central panel 6, Figure 2, producing areas or panels 7 and ti and the bottom or central panel (3, Figure 2, producing areas or panels of color etl'ect usually in contrast to the shellacked areas, the colored or painted areas being exclusive of the edge and corner areas previously referred to. Since the bottom area 3 of the individual blanks B, Figure l are on bottom box sections, usually not observed in the ordinary handling of the completed boxes, areas or panels 3, may not be colored all over but the coloring or imprinting of these panels may be confined to any suitable inlt tl lit dicia 20, and when desired a line border 21 which is frequently in blank. Any additional printing by subsequent operations may be applied to the wall or bottom panels. For instance, bottom panel 6 which is the top surface of a completed box cover blank, may be additionally imprinted in one or more colors or in black, with trade-mark and other indicia 25.

Any suitable guide lines may be provided on the sheets as usual to facilitate the printing operations or to indicate severing lines of the individual blanks. The sheets are now out up and trimmed to pro vide suitable individual blank forms. In the case of the body blanks B, Figure 3, which have to be subjected to a relatively deep pressing operation, the blanks are cut with an irregularly curved contour suitable to produce a substantially straight edge at the open side of the completed box part. The cover blanks C, Figure l: are trin'uned to provide straight edges so and rounded corners 37. These parts are subjected to relatively shallow pressing, since the side walls are not usually as deep as those of the body part.

The individual blanks are now pressed in any suitable dies or pressing instrumentalities. Figure 5 sutliciently illustrates the pressing of a body blank B between suitable male and female dies 40 and 41. The female die may be made in two parts as usual to produce a bead around the body section somewhat below its open edge, pro ducing a neck 46 for the reception of the cover, into the side and end walls of which the neck telescopes in the completed box Figure 7. As the blank is depressed into the female dies and otherwise operated upon, the edges and corners 9, 10 and 11 are obviously subjected to the greatest strain and friction, since these parts of the blank must have the greatest deformation in going from the flat to the completed dished form. These parts, as is evident from the preceding explanation, are coated with the relatively tough and elastic varnish, which is not perceptibly scratched or marred by the treatment. The painted areas 4 and 5 are subjected to only slight friction or deformation and therefore while the paint is not so resistant to scratching, or mat-ring as is the varnish, it is not at all or perceptibly scratched or otherwise injured in the pressing operation. The pressing of the cover blanks C will be clearly understood from the previous explanation of the pressing of the deeper body sections.

The result is the production of completed box parts having a beautifully decorated surface finish, consisting of varnished or shellacked rounded corners and edges, this shellac finish being in preferred cases a brilliant gilt finish, with bottom and wall areas or panels of handsome colored effects, none of the decorated surfaces being at all or per ceptibly scratched or marred in the pressing operations, which, especially in the case of the production of the body sections, are necessarily severe, on account of the depth of these parts.

Evidently additional operations may be performed, or the respective blanks may be differently formed, when it is considered desirable to hingedly connect the body and cover section. Hinge connection is unnecessary, however, and a plain telescope arrangement of the body and cover parts satisfactory, in many cases, and especially in the case of these highly decorated boxes intended to receive a limited number of small cigars for the use of individual smokers. Evidently the invention is not limited to the production of boxes of any particular size, or for any particular purpose.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. A method of producing decorated dished sheet metal box paits. comprising varnishing surfaces areas of a sheet metal blank corresponding to edges and corners of the completed box part, applyin; coloring material to surface areas corresponding to walls of the completed box part, and pressing the blank to dished form with Walls substantially at right angles to the bottom section and with rounded edges and corners. the varnished blank areas being subjected to the greatest friction and strains in pressin and the colored areas being subjected to lesser strains or friction, whereby the decorative surface finish of the dished box part is not appreciably impaired in the pressing operation.

2. A method of producing decorated dished sheet metal box parts, comprising varnishing surface areas of a sheet metal blank corresponding to edges and corners of the completed box part, applying COlOl'lllQ ma terial to surface areas exclusive of said edge and corner areas, trimming the blank to a suitable contour for pressing, and pressing the blank to dished form with walls substantially at right angles to the bottom section, the varnished blank areas subjected to the greatest friction and strains in pressing, and the colored areas being subjected to lesser strains or friction. whereby the decorative surface finish of the dished box is not appreciably impaired in the pressing operation.

3. A method of producing decorated sheet metal box parts. comprising coating a face of a sheet-metal blank with a varnish which is resistant to scratching and relatively elastic, applying coloring material to areas of said face corresponding to the walls or bottom and exclusive of edges and corners of the completed box part. trimming the blank to a suitable contour for pressing, and

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pressing the blank to dished form with walls substantially at right angles to the bottom section, the varnished blank areas being subjected to the greatest friction and strains in pressing, and the colored areas being subject to lesser strains or friction, whereby the decorative surface finish of the dished box part is not appreciably impaired in the pressing operation.

4. A method of producing highly rinished or decorated dished sheet metal box parts, comprising applying a tough varnish resistant to strains and scratching to a surface of a piece of sheet metal suitable for pressing operations, applying color material to the same surface of the metal sheet on arr-as corresponding to bottom or Wall panels of a completed box part and exclusive of edges and corners thereof, cutting individual blanks from the sheet. trimming the individual blanks to proper pressing contours and pressing the blanks to produce dished box parts With flat bottom sections, \valls substantially at right angles to the bottom sections, and rounded corners and edges intermediate the bottom and wall sections, the varnishing, coloring and pre. iing operations being so coordinated that the varnished areas only are subject to severe friction and strains in pressing and. the colored or painted areas are subject to minor frictions or strains, With the result that the decorative finish of the box partis not appreciably impaired.

As a new article of manufacture, a decorated one-piece box part formed from a flat sheet metal blank having one surface imprinted While in flat form with paint on areas corresponding to Wall and body portions of the completed box part, and having intermediate aieas corresponding to corners and edges of the completed box part coated with varnish of color effect contrasting with the painted areas the blank being pressed in dished form to provide a bottom with integral walls of substantial depth extending sul'istantially at right angles to the bod section and with rounded edges and corners. the exterior surfaces of the body and wall portions bearing the imprinted painted areas and the corners and edges bearing the contrasting varnish coating, said painted and varnished areas being substantially two from defects due to the pressing operation.

Signed at New York city. in the county of New York and State of New York. this 5th day of October A. D. 1923.

ANTHONY SCHNEIDER. 

